All Things Warm and Cozy

"Be a good human being, a warm-hearted affectionate person. That is my fundamental belief. Having a sense of caring, a feeling of compassion will bring happiness of peace of mind to oneself and automatically create a positive atmosphere."

~ Dalai Lama

The sun continually played tricks that day.  Out- beautiful, bright sky.  In- cloudy, gray haze.  The breeze blew gentle and calm while a hush fell over the ground.  A storm was approaching.  I could feel it in my bones.

Feeling the need to play in the garden, I grabbed my white gathering basket and set out with the task to harvest my jalapenos.  "Why not begin preparing and storing for the autumn and winter chili-eating, football watching season?" I silently wondered.

And with that, I gently plucked a few dozen spicy little peppers and began slicing and dicing.  The aroma proved potent and had me yearning for all things warm and cozy.  

So as the jalapenos found themselves hibernating in the freezer, and the sky turned a bit more gray, my locally farmed alpaca yarn emerged from it's safe and secure home in my yarn cabinet.  "Mitten knitting time," I thought.  "Why not really kick-off these winter preparations?" 

 While the rain streamed down the windows and the puppy burrowed under the bed, I lost myself to an old afghan and the gentle rhythm of my knitting needles.  

One mitten down, one to go.